


In which a human has POV side stories about gender and the pale quadrant

by Ashes2Aces



Series: In which the author just wants everyone to be happy and trans [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Other, POV Dave Strider, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23290426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashes2Aces/pseuds/Ashes2Aces
Summary: These are some Dave POVs that I wrote to get a better understanding of what was going on behind the shades at various points. Mostlv these are rewrites of scenes from the main fic, but the first chapter is not. ^v^
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Series: In which the author just wants everyone to be happy and trans [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674916
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is Dave Strider and you… guess you're going to hit up Rose and Kanaya asking about gender stuff… for a friend of course! Ah jegus, this is gonna suck probably, but you'll do it for your good br-pal? Karkat. Ugh this is confusing. But Karkat actually seemed like legit upset and you don't want that, you just want to see him flip his shit about shit that doesn't actually matter in the grand scheme of things.  
"knock knock cuckoo clock"  
"You may enter."  
"what up my darling ectosister how hath thy day beeneth"  
"It was missing a certain disregard for grammatical constructs from the era of the great bard."  
"sweet I can giveth you somma dat wackest of bardeth grammareth"  
"Please discontinue. May I enquire about the purpose of your visit?"  
"yeah well you see… KitKat kinda told me to come ask you about gender shit cause like apparently he wants some neutral thing to go down and I had no idea what he was talking about and it was kinda this big deal and I got kicked out of Cantown so like could you schoolfeed me I guess"  
"Karkat asked you to use gender-neutral pronouns, is that what transpired?"  
"yeah pronouns that was the word he-"  
"They."  
"what"  
"They told you to use they/them pronouns to refer to them."  
"oh um isn't that plural though"  
"Yes and no. What if someone took something from your room and hid it somewhere only they knew about? How would you ever know who they were? Where was their hiding spot? You do not know their gender now do you? When you found out it was Terezi or the Mayor, you would start using she/her or he/him pronouns to refer to the culprit because you knew what pronouns they prefer, however if you found out the culprit was Karkat, you would continue using they/them pronouns because they prefer them. They are just as gender neutral as the mystery person was. Does that make sense to you?"  
"huh uh i guess but it still feels weird i dont know"  
"Well, suck it up dearest brother mine, because it sounds like Karkat feels a lot worse when you misgender them."  
You remember the full-body shudder, the anger that barely covered over the hurt on hi-their face. You resolve to get the hell over the weirdness because you only ever wanted to see exasperation there. And maybe a little happiness would be cool too, he is- they. are. your bro. Ah shit, you can't say bro anymore, or man or dude or shit wow you use a lot of man words. Rose is used to it, but the trolls that aren't dudes seem to take offense a lot when you do so you should probably stop with them. Bro bro bro dude man fuck what can you say instead you say this shit all the fucking time you can't stop but maybe you could replace them with something and practice that a lot.  
"Are you finished with your inner monologue that never quite seems capable of remaining 'inner'?"  
"oh uh shit was I mumbling could you hear what I was saying"  
"Mostly swears and your favorite masculine filler words."  
"yeah I need to replace them with something"  
"Have you finally seen the light? Will you cease to call me and everyone else 'dude'?"  
"nah just Karkles and maybe some troll girls that get pretty worked up over it in actually kinda the same way Karkat did huh am I reading this wrong or…"  
"That is very personal information that is, I believe, none of your business."  
"yeah…"  
Did some of the girls you know used to be boys? Does that really mean anything with trolls? You have been getting a feeling that they don't exactly have different anatomy based on Karkat's colorful language. How do they know what gender to be? Do they all just start off with no gender and then go 'hey guys what up I'm a boy now' how… how do they know?  
"Well, with gender I think you just know somewhere deep within you and, while some people take longer than others to figure it out, it is always there."  
"ugh shit i said that out loud too great but like… if no one told me i was a guy and there was no way to externally tell id probably have no clue you know"  
"I do not know, I have actually thought about my gender and found that it is female, is this not the case for you? Are you discovering something about yourself as we speak?"  
"what no no no im totally a guy that is not up for debate i guess i just havent like thought about it deeply or whatever and i was trying to imagine how the heck do aliens that all have the same junk figure out their gender with nothing to give them like a starting place or something"  
"Lusii Do In Fact Tell Grubs What Gender They Consider Their Charges To Be And While They Are Not Always Correct There Are Also Some Physical Differences Associated With This Assignment However I Am Perfectly Content To Leave You In The Dark On Those"  
"Ah, Kanaya. What brings you to my humble abode?"  
"An Idle Thought Much Less Interesting Than Your Current Discussion I Am Certain"  
"Karkat has requested that we use gender-neutral pronouns for them from now on, and I was tasked with explaining this concept to our darling misinformed Dave."  
Both girls give you a weird condescending look.  
"whats that supposed to mean"  
"He Has Not Been Schoolfed On The Glorious Tapestry Of Gender What A Shame"  
"It is a glorious tapestry indeed, and a most piteous of shames."  
"Oh Um"  
"I apologise for my thoughtless word choice, that was not flirtation."  
Oh gog, you suddenly don't want to be here for whatever this is.  
"you know what im gonna hit you up later if i need more schoolfeeding so like bye"  
Rose spares you a nod and you leave the two of them to their verbosity. Okay. You need to figure out how to not gender precious angry Karkar ever again. You guess you'll just practice a bunch? And you need to find a good replacement for man. Person? Pers? No. Fuck. Ooh maybe you can just call hi- them! them. them fuck. Call them fuck. Nah. Okay what are synonyms for person? Entity- ent nah, titty lol. Human or troll? Just call uh them! troll all the time? Nah, they! would be into that probably and it's kinda clunky. Ummmm being? Like human being but like, troll being? Being- bing, beeng, bean? Hmm… hey bean wassup how ya doing bean? That has potential. I could just call them some random food like corn or like, pop rocks. But bean kinda has the same mouth feel as man and bro combined so that's probably easier to switch to for like, muscle memory reasons or some shit. Yes, here is my bean Karkitty. They are such a good bean. Aw bean! Hey bean, can you pass me a can of beans? Lol bean I crack myself up! This bean has no gender. They are a good bean. Bean. Beeeeans. They are my favorite bean. They are also my only bean. There can only be one! Bean! I should totally rap about this, and that's the title. There can only be one/bean and that bean is none/other than my best bean Kat/uh don't you losers know that/they have no gender other/than uh fuck not a brother/or a sister I guess/ah bean this rap is such a mess/I'm sorry this sucks/but I give zero fucks/because no one can hear me/there's no one near me/and you what I'm keen/to learn what it mean/to be the one and only bean. I mean like, what is it like to not have a gender? How can they tell? Rose says she just like looked inside herself and found a little plaque or something that said yup you're a girl but like I didn't know there was a plaque in my brain I thought it was just like, dick equals dude, but I guess it can't work that way for trolls cause I've been gathering way more information than I ever wanted from Karkat about troll dicks and I think vaginas? Their threats are kinda full of interesting anatomy. Not that I ever think about said anatomy! Only in an academic sense!"  
You… are not sure when you started thinking out loud. But you said that last bit a little loudly and feel mortified that someone could have heard. You may have wondered in the past if it's gay to find aliens that have all the parts attractive. Now you wonder if it's gay if they don't have a gender. Like, you aren't the same gender so it can't be homo right? They aren't a girl though? Ugh why are you thinking about this, you shouldn't be attracted to aliens! They are so humanoid though! Ugh! Sometimes you wonder why everyone in your life is so gogdamn attractive. Maybe no one is? That might be better? Maybe you are just shit at figuring out your own feelings. That is probably the truest statement you've thought all day. Wow, you need a drink. You go get an AJ from your closet and take a nice big swig. That's the good shit. Alright, you're going to sit down and write an actual rap about this. It's gonna be another epic composition that you'll never share with anybody. No one on this meteor would appreciate your genius anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

You are in your room writing another mostly ironic rap ballad about Karkles when the bean themself messages you.  
[carcinoGeneticist started trolling turntechGodhead]  
CG: HEY DAVE, WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?  
TG: im in my room spinning some sick new beats  
CG: CAN I COME TALK TO YOU?  
TG: yo whats this about bean   
TG: this about that massive puddle on your pants cause i thought we agreed that was somehow your fault

It was totally your fault, you drooled on their lap by accident last movie night.

CG: NO I JUST HAVE A QUESTION THAT I WANT TO ASK YOU IN PERSON.  
TG: that sounds ominous too  
TG: well like i said nothing too important going on in here just fucking around on my turntables  
TG: feel free to waltz on in like you own the place  
[carcinoGeneticist is now an idle chum]  
TG: except its my room that you own now  
TG: and by extension me because im in it  
TG: uh

Shit, what if they read into that too much? Damage control time, redirect.

TG: i actually dont know where that one was going this time  
TG: i assume you are coming to my room as i speak here to an idle chum  
TG: and that idle chum is you because you cant be assed to text while you walk  
[turntechGodhead ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist]

You hear the door open behind you and turn off your computer instinctively.  
"HI DAVE, I HEARD QUITE A FEW ALERTS IN THE HALF A MINUTE IT TOOK ME TO GET HERE EVEN THOUGH YOU KNEW I WAS COMING."  
"good morning to you too"  
"YOU'RE LUCKY MY THINKPAN HAS RECLASSIFIED THIS BEHAVIOR AS CUTE…"  
"wait what"  
Hold up hold up hold up did they just call you cute? Hold the phone and horses *and* your chickens before they hatch.  
"OKAY, SO, WHAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU. I WANT YOU TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH ME FOR THE SAKE OF MY BLOOD PUSHER, OK? OKAY, WELL, YOU KNOW HOW WE'VE BEEN USING THE MAYOR TO LET OUT OUR TROUBLES KINDA LIKE A SUBSTITUTE FOR A MOIRAIL? ALSO, ARE YOU CLEAR ON WHAT A MOIRAIL IS?"  
"yeah…"  
Holy shiiiit is this actually happening? You are actually getting asked out right now??? You swallow nervously.  
"its the feelings jams and hornrubs quarter"  
"IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT QUADRANT OF TROLL ROMANCE, ALTHOUGH IT IS HARD TO SAY ONE IS REALLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHERS… ANYWAY YEAH, CONCILIATORY PITY ROMANCE. WOULD YOU...UM… SOOO I KINDA REALLY WOULD LIKE TO TRY… US. I'M INTERESTED IN A MOIRALLEGIANCE. WITH YOU. IF YOU'RE INTO THAT. I LIKE YOU PALE."  
You just got asked out. They just asked you out. An attractive alien wants to date you. You are kinda blindsided by the choice of quadrant though, you could've sworn they'd proposition you black and you weren't sure if you'd be totally down with that, maybe red if you were being optimistic cause that one seems closest to human romance, but pale? You thought they were like, dating the Mayor that way or something? Are you down for talking about your feelings? Not especially. But with Karkat who apparently wants to bare their soul to you and snuggle? … yeah maybe. You feel kinda relieved that you won't be under any pressure to make out with anyone cause you aren't sure if you're ready for that kinda thing. Even if maybe you kinda want to. Oh shit, KKs been standing there all nervous while you spaced out, you should actually answer them.  
"well im not… too good with like, emotions buuuuut i mean i can try i guess… for you"  
"FUCK! CAN I HUG YOU?"  
"uh sure bean, but why are you crying?"  
They kneel in front of you in order to wrap their arms around you with a hint of shakiness.  
"I WAS JUST, REALLY FUCKING CONVINCED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO REJECT ME OR EVEN SHIT ON MY GENDER IDENTITY CAUSE HUMANS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT THAT STUFF…"  
Oh no, Karkat… you might have had requests and boundaries planned for the other quadrants, but you were never going to reject them! And the gender thing… you've put a lot of thought into the gender thing, way more than they know.  
"nah i changed my default phrases for you im not gonna turn around and take that support back thats stupid"  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN DEFAULT PHRASES?"  
"oh well I kinda say dude man and bro as filler even if im talking to like rose or whatever but you like, flinched when i did it with you so ive just replaced all of them with bean when im talking with you"  
"OH."   
"kinda like human bein' but instead itd be troll bein' its just you know bean"  
"THAT'S… REALLY SWEET… I ALREADY THOUGHT IT SOUNDED CUTE BUT, THANKS."  
Ugh, you really like this side of Karkat. If this keeps up you're gonna get cavities.  
"aww karkles said thank you so polite"  
"YOU'RE RUINING THE MOOD, FUCKASS."  
"lol"  
"STOP SAYING THAT OUT LOUD, IT'S EMBARRASSING!"  
"and yet you continue to hug me"  
"YEAH WELL, I LIKE YOU DESPITE HOW ANNOYING YOU ARE."  
They look back up at you and they've got the biggest, most genuine smile you've ever seen on their face. Their eyes are fucking twinkling, shit's critical.  
"shit youre kinda adorable"  
"NO YOU. YOU ARE ADORABLE."  
"aw shit what?"  
You try to cover your face but they start poking your cheeks.  
"I'M GOING TO TRY TO MAKE YOU SMILE MORE FROM NOW ON FOR THE GOOD OF THE UNIVERSE."  
"oooooh nooooooo!"  
You are hugging Karkat. There are no circumstances to blame this physical contact on. You are just hugging because you want to be close to each other. It's… nice.  
"MY KNEES HURT."  
"thats what she said"  
"WHAT."  
Okay, it's time to get serious about this cuddle thing. You get up out of your chair and drop onto your bed.  
"DAVE!"  
"what"  
"THAT'S A CONCUPISCENT PLATFORM!"  
"no its a bed"  
"BUT IT'S FOR…"  
"i spend a significant amount of my time lying on it doing nothing so i thought we could lie on it doing nothing together cause its more comfortable than the floor"  
They hesitate for another moment before deciding to enter the cuddle zone.  
"sooooooo im curious what else there is to being moirails other than what ive seen in your movies"  
"W-WELL THE MOVIES SHOW A LOT BUT YEAH SOME STUFF THEY KINDA FADE TO BLACK ON…"  
Oh shit is there some sort of pale sex you weren't warned about?  
"shit like what"  
"WELL FEELINGS JAMS ARE PRETTY PRIVATE AFFAIRS, SO THEY MOSTLY JUST ALLUDE TO THEM, AND THEY SHOW COMPLETED PILES BUT RARELY ANY OF THE BUILDING PROCESS… THOUGH THAT ONE MIGHT JUST BE FOR PACING REASONS CAUSE IT CAN TAKE A WHILE. OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S STUFF THEY LIKE TO SHOW LIKE CUDDLING I GUESS. REALLY IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO HELPING EACH OTHER BE THE BEST VERSION OF THEMSELVES AND WANTING TO SEE THEM OVERCOME THEIR PROBLEMS AND SHINE."  
"mmm yeah that sounds nice"  
"DO YOU HAVE ANY BOUNDARIES FOR ME TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE I THROW MYSELF AT YOU?"  
"not from what youve described so far…"  
You mean, you do have boundaries, but they're more moment to moment… or about how much of your personal life you share with others.  
"actually yeah can we keep away from pda for now"  
"PDA…?"  
"public displays of affection they make me uncomfortable when i see other people being sappy in public and i bet that goes both ways also i dont want Rose to stick her nose in our business"  
Hmm… affection. Avoiding pda is just about the p part… but… you suddenly are allowed to act on your impulses to touch KK to a certain extent.  
"THAT WORKS. I'M NOT ECSTATIC ABOUT ANY OF THAT EITHER- HEY WHAT?!!!"  
You have succumbed to a long held desire of yours to touch their horns. They feel softer than you expected, and you also weren't expecting the way their breath stutters and their eyelids lower when you brush the warm red parts. You explore this line of questing further and they react by purring loudly. Holy shit, why are the supposed to be intimidating horns so sensitive?  
"ASK… NEXT TIME… ASSHOLE."  
"oh… sorry"  
Whoops, you sort of skipped over that bit… uh, you'll just remember that going forward, yeah. You scoot closer and they smush their face into your chest, and you can *feel* the vibration coming from their chest. One of their hands drunkenly finds your hair and starts combing it rhythmically. This is not the first time you've seen happy, purring Karkat, but it is the first time you've been the sole reason for their state and been definitively cuddling them. And dating them. Wow.


End file.
